The inquiry report also calls for an increase in funding on cycle
infrastructure to £10 a head. And it recommends a government target for
increasing cycle use from the present 2 per cent of journeys to 10 per cent
by 2025.

The Prime Minister should approve an action plan for more and safer cycling
and provide leadership on an issue cutting across transport, health,
planning and local government budgets, the authors of the Get Britain
Cycling report say.

A petition has
been set up on the Government site calling on the Prime Minister to
implement the recommendations in the report.

Julian Huppert, co-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group,
said: “For it to become reality, it needs leadership from the very top, the
Prime Minister. It is down to him to show that this matters to him and to
the country.”

His comments were supported by Edmund King, president of the AA, who said that
he would urge motorists to support the plan. “I think it is a very
constructive package that certainly we will be signing up to and encouraging
motorists and our members to support,” he added.

“If you are really serious about taking this forward, having the Prime
Minister endorse it across departments would be a great step in the right
direction.”

Health and Transport ministers say that they are trying to encourage more
cycling as a way of reducing congestion, cutting pollution and helping beat
an obesity epidemic that costs the NHS £5 billion a year.

They add that cycling is safe, but statistics show that the rate of cyclists
killed or seriously injured as a proportion of distance travelled has risen
during the past three years.

In their report, which is published today, MPs criticise police and the courts
for failing victims. “We are very concerned that the police seem not to be
interested in enforcing the law when it comes to speed limits. This
undermines respect for the law, reduces its impact, and costs lives,” they
say.

“Similarly, the courts and justice system too often produce trivial sentences
even when avoidable deaths and injuries are caused by drivers. This sends a
damaging message. Equally, cyclists should of course obey the law when
cycling.”

Official figures show that cycling increases in areas where investment in
provision is prioritised. And evidence from other European countries
suggests that safety improves as more people cycle.

Olympic champions, including Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Sir Bradley
Wiggins, Chris Boardman, Rebecca Romero and Nicole Cook all support the
Times campaign. News International, parent company of the newspaper, helped
to fund the all-party inquiry with a £10,000 donation.

Martin Gibbs, policy director at British
Cycling, said: “The Prime Minister is a good friend of cycling and
cycles himself. With his backing we can apply the focus we used to turn
ourselves into a leading cycle sport nation to embed cycling across the
whole of society so that it becomes a normal everyday choice which appeals
to everyone.”

The dominance of Team GB cyclists at the London Olympics has spurred public
interest but there are fears that the Olympic bounce will be missed in the
absence of rapid government action.